Birgitta Stenberg

Birgitta Stenberg

Birgitta Stenberg (26 April 1932 – 23 August 2014) was a Swedish author, translator and illustrator. She was the 2005 winner of the Selma Lagerlöf Prize.

Life

Birgitta Stenberg was born in Stockholm in 1932. She was educated in Visby and finally in Paris. Stenberg spent a lot of time in southern Europe improving her language skills.[1] She became a Swedish author, translator and illustrator. Stenberg was, during the early 1950s, a part of the literary assembly Metamorfosgruppen. She wrote the script for the film Raskenstam.

During the Cold War in the 1950s, Stenberg was named secretary of the Swedish department of the Congress for Cultural Freedom and editor for Kulturkontakt which was founded by the CIA under the cover name of Ford Foundation.[2][3]

Stenbergs first novel Fritt förfall was refused by Bonnier Group in 1952 due to the novels "lack of literary quality". According to the authour herself, the publishing house was put off by the novels controversial lesbian motive.[4] The novel was published in 2008 by Normal publishers.[5] Stenberg later wrote an autobiographical suit that deals with sex, drugs and art making, starting with Kärlek i Europa in 1981[6] and continuing with Apelsinmannen (1983), Spanska trappan (1987) and Alla vilda (2004). In 2009, she argued for the legalization of cannabis during the live studio news show Rapport.[7]

Stenberg's first published novel was Mikael och Poeten in 1956.[8] The novel dealt with the Kejne Affair, a topic that is further explored in the later work Apelsinmannen.[9]

She worked at the radio interception at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs,[10] as a journalist at the magazine Arbetaren (The Worker), as an interpreter, fisherman and local politician for the Left Party.[11][12]

Personal life

Stenberg lived in Åstol, Sweden and she was openly bisexual.[13] In 1974, she married Håkan Lagergren (1934–91).[14] In 2012, Stenberg remarried Kerstin Bjärkstedt (born 1953).[15] Stenberg died in Tiveden from hepatic cancer on 23 August 2014.[16]

Awards

Selected works

  • 1956 – Mikael och Poeten (fiction)
  • 1958 – Vit av natten (fiction)
  • 1961 – Chans (fiction)
  • 1963 – Våldgästen (fiction)
  • 1964 – De frånvända (fiction)
  • 1969 – Rapport (fiction)
  • 1973 – Skurkar (short stories)
  • 1976 – Klara Färdiga (childrensbook)
  • 1977 – Farväl till havet (easy-read)
  • 1977 – Klara Färdiga och prins Hektor (childrensbook)
  • 1981 – Kärlek i Europa (autobiographical novel)
  • 1983 – Raskenstam (roman) (filmscrips the same years)
  • 1983 – Apelsinmannen (autobiographical novel)
  • 1984 – Glatta livet (shortstories)
  • 1985 – Det skuddade stoftet (poems)
  • 1986 – Bodil (easy-read)
  • 1986 – Emily och Eddy (childrensbook)
  • 1987 – Spanska Trappan (autobiographical novel)
  • 1987 – Falkboet (childrensbook)
  • 1988 – Kaninmysteriet (childrensbook)
  • 1990 – Tusenbröderna (fiction, part 1 of trilogy)
  • 1991 – Mannen i havet (poems)
  • 1991 – Detta med Doris (fiction, part 2 of trilogy)
  • 1994 – Arabesk (fiction, part 3 of trilogy)
  • 1996 – Pagodernas drottning (poem)
  • 1997 – Mina öar (essays)
  • 1998 – Äntligen av med liket (fiction)
  • 2001 – De 7 dödssynderna (cook book)
  • 2004 – Alla Vilda (autobiographical novel)
  • 2005 – Allt möjligt om bin
  • 2005 – Åtrå och strid (play, essays)
  • 2006 – Fritt förfall (first publication of refused debut novel from 1952)
  • 2008 – Erotiska noveller (shortstories)
  • 2010 – Eldar och is (autobiographical novel)
  • 2013 – Syster Linda (fiction)
  • 2014 – Skriver mig ut ur världen (autobiographical novel)
Children's books about Billy, in collaboration with Mati Lepp
  • Whistle, 1989
  • Billy on the country, 1991
  • Billy on new adventures, 1994
  • Billy and the monster, 1994
  • Billy's Strange Day, 1995
  • Billy and the new girl, 1996
  • Billy in school, 1998
  • Billy and Grandma, 1999
  • Billy and pigs, 2001
  • Billy and Lotta Runaways, 2001
  • Billy gets a visit, 2003
  • Billy and the Frog, 2004
  • Billy gets angry, 2006
  • Billy and the mysterious cat, 2007
  • Billy and ball, 2009

References

  1. ↑ Birgitta Stenberg, norstedts.se, retrieved 3 April 2014
  2. ↑ "Jag jobbade ju också för CIA". Expressen (in Swedish). Retrieved 2017-05-04.
  3. ↑ Radio, Sveriges. "CIAs hemliga propagandakrig i Sverige - P3 Dokumentär". sverigesradio.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 2017-05-04.
  4. ↑ Lundberg, Johan. "För samlare av stenbergiana". SvD.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 2017-05-04.
  5. ↑ "Fritt förfall av Birgitta Stenberg - LitteraturMagazinet". LitteraturMagazinet (in Swedish). Retrieved 2017-05-04.
  6. ↑ "Självbekännaren - DN.SE". DN.SE (in Swedish). 2004-09-18. Retrieved 2017-05-04.
  7. ↑ ""Släpp loss haschet"". Aftonbladet. Retrieved 2017-05-04.
  8. ↑ "Birgitta Stenberg". www.norstedts.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 2017-05-04.
  9. ↑ Gustafsson, Ida (23 August 2014). "Författaren Birgitta Stenberg död" (in Swedish). Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  10. ↑ "Dokument: Hallå där! med Birgitta Stenberg 2010". Göteborgs-Posten (in Swedish). Retrieved 2017-05-04.
  11. ↑ Radio, Sveriges. "Birgitta Stenberg död - Kulturnytt". Retrieved 2017-05-04.
  12. ↑ catber (2012-03-06). "Tre kvinnor om livets svåra val". Kommunalarbetaren (in Swedish). Retrieved 2017-05-04.
  13. ↑ "Jag har sex med ett gift par" (in Swedish). Expressen. 19 October 2004. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  14. ↑ Sveriges dödbok 1901–2009 (DVD-rom) (Version 5.0). Solna: Sveriges släktforskarförbund. Libris 11931231. 2010. ISBN 978-91-87676-59-8.
  15. ↑ "Änkans sorg efter Birgitta Stenberg". Expressen (in Swedish). Retrieved 2017-05-04.
  16. ↑ "Birgitta Stenberg är död" (in Swedish). Dagens Nyheter. 23 August 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
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